Apex Grand Prix for Ogilvy Joburg

Ogilvy was king of the Apex Awards last night, Thursday, 27 May 2010, with Ogilvy Johannesburg scoring the Apex Grand Prix, one Gold and two Silvers, and Ogilvy Cape Town two Silvers and two Bronzes. Special awards went to Saatchi & Saatchi for its WWF SA Earth Hour campaign (most successful submission for non-profit or charity organisation or cause 21 Awards) and to TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg for its Trillion Dollar campaign for The Zimbabwean (most ingenious response to limited advertising or research funds).

Founded in 1995, the Apex Awards promote greater accountability in the industry by rewarding campaigns that work, sell and resonate in the minds of their target audiences, and in so doing, deliver results. The adjudication process is notoriously stringent, as entrants must provide evidence of the effectiveness of their marketing communications - and in so doing, prove that their entries have achieved performance excellence by contributing a measurable return on investment. This year's ceremony marked the first true annual cycle of the awards.

The winners were awarded in one of three categories: Launch, Change, and Sustain. Launch recognises brands or services that are less than 12 months old with no significant history of advertising. In Change, new campaigns from previously advertised brands which resulted in significant short-term effects on sales and/or behaviour (short-term being within a period of no more than 18 months) are recognised and awarded. Sustain is for campaigns that benefited a business by maintaining or strengthening a brand over a long period, eg 36 months.

All the winners

Category

Award

Agency

Campaign

Client

Grand Prix

Ogilvy Johannesburg

KFC Finger Lickin' Great

KFC

Special Award

The most ingenious response to limited advertising or research funds

TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Johannesburg

Trillion Dollar

The Zimbabwean

Special Award

The most successful submission for non-profit or charity organisation or cause 21 Awards

The list of winners tells a tale of a year in which campaigns had to be truly exceptional to overcome the challenges presented by a global recession, according to the organisers.

"One only has to look at the remarkably high caliber of entries to realise that this year's winners each produced something phenomenal," said Odette Roper, CEO of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) and host and MC for the night. "Agencies were faced with small budgets, sceptical clients, and a disillusioned consumer, yet many still managed to create transformative and hugely effective campaigns during 2010."

"Unlike other awards, an Apex symbolises a demonstration of both strategic and creative effectiveness - and positions award winners as true leaders in their field," added Roper.

According to 2010 Apex keynote speaker and judge Geoff Whyte, who is outgoing commercial director: Africa, Middle East at Cadbury SA, the "general standard of Apex entries this year was extremely high - and the campaigns that [picked up] awards [last] night of any colour are all truly exceptional.

Whyte continued: "And reviewing the winning case studies there was a clear pattern for me: Where there was great marketing thinking, great creativity followed. And where these two elements aligned, the impact on sales was significant and sustained.

"But, perhaps more importantly, where campaigns were really successful the client and agency had had the courage to do something different. So let's all be brave enough to stand up for what we believe in, challenge every conventional wisdom and aim to be world class. Let's be driven by our ambition for greatness, not by fear."

Four student bursaries

Four bursaries of R10 000 each were also awarded to two students from the AAA School of Advertising in Johannesburg, and two from the AAA School in Cape Town. This is the first time that funding from the APEX Awards has been directed toward skills development, and the ACA is exploring the possibility of making it an annual initiative.

According to Ludi Koekemoer, principal and MD of the AAA School, there is a great need for additional financial support for students, and the AAA School is proactive in applying for funding from various institutions every year. In addition to the APEX bursaries, the AAA School has secured financial aid from MAPPP-SETA and the National Arts Council for 2010.

"These four students are all highly deserving of this award, and I have no doubt that they will make the most of it and continue to excel," said Koekemoer.

The 2010 Apex Awards, tickets for which sold out a week before the white tie event, took place at the Vodadome, Vodaworld, in Midrand, Gauteng. Comedian and ventriloquist Conrad Coch had the audience of advertising professionals, industry captains, key stakeholders from Government and the media.

For more:

2010 Apex Awards: Opinion piece by Louise Boxall-Davies [Agencies need to be willing to embrace effectiveness and able to produce entries that persuade the adjudicators of the contribution of the advertising to the success of the case.]

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